A guy at work just told me that if you are having a heart transplant SOP involves removing all your teeth, so that there is no chance for infection.
I have never heard this and am a little skeptical.
What is the straight dope?
A lot of people have to take antibiotics to prevent infection prior to any dental procedure if they have compromised immune systems or other problems/injuries. (For example, this was the case with a former coworker who tore up her leg badly in a motorcycle accident and had multple steel pins holding it back together.)
I can’t imagine why they would have to take the teeth out, though. That seems like it would be incredibly stressful.
My mother has a heart condition, she has to take anti-biotics before she goes to the dentist as a preventative measure. That’s not uncommon.
It sounds like your friend is getting a bit confused. You wouldn’t want any major dentistry done right before an operation, and that would certainly include having teeth pulled.
Actually, before a cardiac transplant can be done, you do have to undergo a thorough dental evaluation, and any problem areas need to be fixed, i.e., cavities need to be filled, any teeth that cannot be restored need to be pulled, etc., to minimize the risk of infection.
This page shows the kind of things you have to get taken care of before they’ll let you have the transplant:
That applies to other transplants as well. They clean your teeth thoroughly and make sure your gums aren’t bleeding — if there’s bleeding, there’s an access for an opportunistic infection.
Perhaps what is meant by that is, “If you’re going to have teeth pulled, better before your transplant than afterward.”
Thus spake the Doper who’s had two transplant procedures (kidney 2000, kidney/liver 2001).
My guess is that they remove the patient’s dentures, to prevent swallowing, or to aid with breathing tubes and such, and that this occurs in any surgery.
And not merely “before your transplant”, but “long enough before your transplant that the gums can heal fully”. Cuz otherwise, the open sockets will provide a greater chance for infection.
A thorough dental examanation is required prior to any transplant, but it is especially improtant in heart transplants because S. mutans is a common pathogen in dental caries. It also is a major cause of heart infections. Because of this, prior to a heart transplant all dental work must be performed, including extracting any teeth which may be infected.